Get the Recipe: Extra Creamy Rice Pudding
This is the rice pudding I have been making for decades! If you are looking for a creamy, delicious rice pudding, look no further than this tried and true recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (960 ml) whole milk, (3.5% b.f.), plus up to 1 cup more, as needed
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) uncooked long-grain white rice or Arborio rice, *or see Note 1 below for other rice options
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f.
- 1/3 cup (65 g) white granulated sugar, *see Note 2 below
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) raisins, optional
Instructions
- Rinse a large pot with cold water. Don't dry it. Set the pot onto the stove-top over medium heat. Add the milk. Heat the milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly. WATCH CLOSELY as it nears the boil! When milk hits the boil, it will boil up and possibly overflow. That's not a good thing.
- While the milk is heating, use a medium-sized bowl to whisk together the cream, sugar, yolks, vanilla and salt. Set aside on the counter, leaving the fork in the bowl. Set out a ladle to use, as well. I like to do this early so that the egg mixture comes to room temperature.
- Once the milk boils, stir in the rice and keep stirring until the mixture returns to the boil. Reduce heat to a shade higher than low, or whatever level on your stove allows the mixture to gently simmer (bubble breaking the surface but not too vigorously). Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring down the mixture every 10 minutes (Important that you stir it down regularly and ensure that there is no rice sticking to the bottom of the pan. You will notice that the mixture has probably formed a skin on top. Don't remove it. Just stir it back in.)
- Tip! Depending on the type of rice you used, your mixture may start to get thick at this point, with little milky liquid left. If so, you'll need to add more hot milk or water to the pot, adding just as much as needed to loosen the mixture up and ensure that the rice is suspended in liquid and not sitting on the bottom of the pan, where it might scorch.
- Once milk/rice has simmered for 30 minutes, continue simmering, but stir down the mixture every 5 minutes. With each stir, start testing the doneness of the rice by tasting a piece. You want the rice to be tender (so no hard center). Continue cooking, stirring down and adding additional milk, as needed until the rice is tender. Most rice is generally done at about 45-50 minutes of total simmering time. A lot will depend on how vigorously your mixture is boiling, so there is no hard and fast rule. Taste testing is the best indicator.
- Once the rice is cooked, slide the pot off the heat to avoid scorching the rice. Re-whisk your egg mixture with the fork. Using the ladle, spoon out a ladle-full of the hot rice/milk mixture, taking as much liquid as possible, but don't worry if you bring some of the rice with it. With the ladle in your left hand (assuming you're right-handed, if not, reverse) and using your right hand to start whisking the egg mixture with the fork, start adding the hot mixture to the eggs A DROP AT A TIME, at first, while continuously whisking with the fork. Increase to a slow stream, while whisking continuously, until the entire ladle-full has been added. Get another ladle-full of hot liquid and slowly add it to the egg mixture as well, whisking continuously. Keep adding hot liquid until you've got at least 1 1/2 cups- 1 3/4 cups of warmed liquid in your bowl. Once you have reached that point, pour the warmed egg mixture into your cooking pot.
- Tip! You never want to allow the mixture to vigorously boil after the egg mixture has been added, as you may end up with scrambled eggs.
- Return the pot to the heat, over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring almost continuously, just until a dime-sized bubble breaks the surface of the pudding. The pudding should be noticeably thickened and saucy, but still more saucy than a finished rice (the pudding will set more in the fridge as it cools). If the liquid seems almost like milk consistency (rather than heavy cream consistency), it's too thin. Cook just a wee bit longer.
- If using raisins, scatter them onto the bottom of a medium-large bowl. When the pudding is cooked, immediately pour the hot mixture over the raisins. Stir well to combine. Allow the pudding to stand on the counter for about 5 minutes to allow the steam to reduce, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the pudding to cool and set in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving. The pudding will set as it cools.
- To serve, simply stir and spoon into bowls. Serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired. If the pudding is or becomes too thick, simply add a tablespoon or so of heavy cream to the pudding and stir in.
- Store rice pudding in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze rice pudding for up to 3 months.
Notes
Note 1: Use long-grain converted white rice for a classic, old-fashioned rice pudding. Arborio rice also makes lovely rice pudding, though it tends to absorb a bit more liquid, so expect that you will need to add a bit more hot milk or water towards the end of simmering. Jasmine and Basmati are other long-grain rice options, if you like. I don't recommend a short-grain or quick-cooking rice here as it will produce a mushy rice pudding with this longer cooking method.
Note 2: You can also reduce the sugar in this rice pudding to your personal taste for sweetness. As the sugar is only used for sweetening, alternative sweeteners can be substituted. I do suggest sticking with a granulated sweetener to avoid thinning the pudding too much.
Side note - I have only ever eaten rice pudding cold from the fridge, so I was genuinely surprised to learn that some people enjoy it warm. It's all good, but in my experience, warm puddings often taste sweeter than cold ones, so you may wish to reduce the sugar a bit if you plan to eat it warm.
Tips!
If your pudding doesn't thicken properly, it wasn't cooked quite long enough after adding the egg mixture. You want to cook it until a bubble breaks the surface of the pudding. You can rescue it by pouring it back into a saucepan, heating it, then stirring in a bit of cornstarch mixed with cold water, a bit at a time, until the pudding thickens as needed. Re-refrigerate.
Be sure to read the notes above the recipe card for more tips! You'll also find substitution suggestions, step-by-step photos and a recipe video that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 316kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 131mg, Potassium: 254mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 734IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 209mg, Iron: 1mg
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